Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg

@danua.bsky.social

1524 Followers 1097 Following

"Local know-it-all attorney"- Philly Inquirer. "Professional troll"- spouse. Civil rights attorney at the Public Interest Law Center. Sixers sufferer. He/him. Views mine only.

Bizarre, Paul Bunyan-looking giant inflatable man with a soccer ball and Lowe’s uniform
Flyer text from People's Budget Office. Learn how Philadelphia schools are funded and why they are at risk of big cuts in this year's budget. *Where does the School District's deficit come from? What will it take to repair all our city's aging school buildings? Why do public schools still not have enough money after winning a historic lawsuit? Who's actually in charge of schools?* Join us for a session to learn all about the School District's $5 billion budget, why schools are still underfunded, and how you can engage in the budget process to make sure schools get the resources they need to safely educate kids.
Screenshot of Philly Inquirer story on effort to tax rideshare to pay for schools, which had seven different ads from Uber against the tax.
Rowhouse with “ice out of South Philly” sign in window.
Rowhouse with sign in window that says ICE with red line through it.
Rowhouse with sign that says ICE with red line through it.
Rowhouse window with sign with a drawing of a woman and “ice free zone”
Window with two signs, with the top one saying “I.C.E out of Philly!” Over an old school Eagles logo.
Rowhouse with sign that repeatedly says “ICE OUT”
Rowhouse with sign “no secret police in America”
Fundraiser flyer: JOIN HOSTS JENNIFER KATES, ANDREW STOBER, AND DAN SYMONDS FOR A FUNDRAISER IN SUPPORT OF COUNCILMEMBER NIC OROURKE THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19 6 - 8 PM HIVE CAFE 1444 S BROAD STREET RSVP & DONATE: NICWFP.COM/SOUTHPHILLY
Screenshot from article, which says: Several members of Council raised questions about the plan’s price tag. Prior district and city estimates put the cost just under $8 billion, but members of Watlington’s team said they could they could actually do the work for $2.8 billion — $1 billion from district capital funds, and $1.8 from yet-unpromised state and philanthropic sources. In the past, the district had made public detailed facilities condition assessments for every school in the district, Councilmember Rue Landau noted. Residents could look up their school and see exactly what the condition of every system in the building was, and how much money would be required to fix those that needed repair. “We don’t have any of those details,” said Landau, who went so far as to say she believed the district should be spending more than $2.8 billion on the plan. “What is the increased investment, and why don’t we have any of those details? They are not out there in the public for us, so none of us have any understanding as to why this is happening, This should all be public so all of the public can see.”
Two signs on inside glass of first floor window of a home, one says “protect your neighbors, abolish ICE,” other is a 8 by 14 poster that says “ICE out of South Philly.”
Quote from Court Opinion: Rooted in the mandates of federal law and the protections of the U.S. Constitution, the Consent Order aims to address the lingering effects of ESSA’s alleged discriminatory lending practices by requiring ongoing measures to promote credit access in previously excluded majority-Black and Hispanic census tracts. These obligations serve the public interest and remain necessary until the Consent Order’s full term is complete. Ensuring equal access to credit is not only a legal mandate—it strengthens communities, serves the public, and advances economic justice. Indeed, the Constitution and federal law continue to prohibit discrimination based on race and national origin, regardless of any change in the Executive Administration. A. ESSA’s Partial Completion of Certain Obligations Does Not Mean the Consent Order’s Purpose Has Been Satisfied ESSA’s partial satisfaction of the Consent Order does not achieve its purpose—to remedy ESSA’s previous discriminatory lending practices and promote equal access to mortgage credit to prevent future discrimination. Upholding these commitments serves not only legal compliance, but also the broader public interest in fairness and equity.
Screenshot from WHYY Article: Urevick-Ackelsberg also challenged Willis on some of his methodology, questioning how he calculated districts’ per-pupil spending. Willis’ report said the Chester Upland School District spends $36,000 per student, while the Pennsylvania Department of Education reported the district spending around $17,000 — or less than half that amount — during the same period. Willis said his numbers were adjusted for regional cost, but Urevick-Ackelsberg suggested he may have failed to include charter school students in his calculations. In Pennsylvania, charter school funding passes through school districts. Urevick-Ackelsberg asked whether “even though charter school expenses are in the numerator, you left the charter school students out of the denominator.” That would effectively inflate per-pupil spending figures in districts with a large number of charter school students, which “tend to be poorer on average,” Urevick-Ackelsberg asserted, adding the calculations “flipped the inequity of Pennsylvania’s school funding on its head.” Willis said he didn’t know whether he included charter school students in his calculations."
Screenshot quote from article: McMahon, a former wrestling executive, issued a memo Monday outlining the department's "final mission," which she wrote would be "to restore the mission, rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington." Daniel Urevick-Ackelsberg, a Public Interest Law Center attorney who worked on Pennsylvania's historic school funding lawsuit, characterized the letter as "legally meaningless." "But I think it's important for all of us to not accept declarations from Washington, D.C., as if we have a king, because we don't," he said. "The Department of Education exists. It is created by law. If they want to dismantle it, they have to do it by law."